Romain Dupeyre

Experience

Romain is highly experienced in institutional arbitration proceedings (especially ICC, CMAP and Paris Chamber of International Arbitrations), with a special expertise in cases involving investments in Africa. He also has expertise in insurance litigation.

Arbitration Experience

Romain has acted in multiple commercial litigation cases, including post-acquisition and product liability disputes. He has also represented French and international clients in insurance coverage litigation and subrogation proceedings (exclusion, forfeiture, property and civil liability) and construction cases.

Examples of his expertise include:

As arbitrator:

• Sole arbitrator in two consolidated arbitrations relating to a post-M&A dispute between a Spanish and a French company.
• Sole arbitrator in ICC arbitration between a Belgium and a US company relating to the termination of a distribution contract (English, Belgian and US law, Paris).
• Chairman of the arbitral tribunal in a dispute between a French and an Italian company over the sale of soy beans before the Paris International Chamber of Arbitration.
• Sole arbitrator in a franchise dispute under the rules of the European Court of Arbitration.
• Chairman of the arbitral tribunal in a dispute between a French companies over the sale of Bolivian food products before the Paris International Chamber of Arbitration.

As counsel:

• Representing clients from Cameroon and Luxembourg in a recourse against an OHADA award relating to a shareholders dispute.
• Representing a Belgian company in an ICC arbitration against a Central African State relating to the termination of a contract for the management of a wildlife reserve (Paris, French, OHADA law).
• Representing an investment fund in an ICC arbitration (relating to a dispute arising out of a shareholders agreement as a result of an acquisition in Algeria (Geneva, French, French law).
• Representing a US cranes manufacturer in an ICC arbitration relating to a major at a power plant (Geneva, French, French law).
• Representing an investment fund in an ICC arbitration relating to a dispute arising out of a shareholders agreement (Paris, French, Moroccan law).

Insurance Litigation Experience

Romain has a strong and diverse experience of insurance matters, both on the litigation and transactional/regulatory sides.

Romain acts in numerous insurance litigation cases and has a vast experience of insurance coverage disputes. Examples of his work include obtaining the dismissal of a claim brought against a major insurer based on the false representation made by the insured at the time of underwriting the policy and he has also obtained the dismissal of a claim based on the intentional misconduct of the insured.

Romain has also acted successfully in a large number of recovery procedures. He has, for example, obtained a significant recovery for an English insurer following a loss on a pharmaceutical plant in France and a total multimillion-euro recovery for US insurers following the collapse of a building in Paris inner-centre after a 10-year procedure.

His experience covers casualty, liability, financial lines (D&O, E&O, fraud), as well as construction & credit and political risk insurance. This experience also encompasses disputes between insurers and brokers, as well as reinsurance disputes, especially before arbitration tribunals. 

Romain has also provided advice to leading insurance companies and policyholders in the setting up of their insurance schemes. It is used to providing policy review advice as well as assisting insurers in the distribution, marketing and structuring of their insurance products.

Romain is deeply involved in the life of the French insurance community. He has founded and chairs the ALEA association, which organised the first and only moot court devoted to insurance litigation in France.

Examples of his expertise as counsel include:

• Coverage advice to a leading UK insurance company following a fire on an industrial plant and following recourse against the broker.
• Advice to a major insurer in relation to the coverage due under a master program policy on a DIC/DIL basis following an accident of a train operated by an insured in the United States.
• Advice to a US insurer and its insured following the sale of defective medical devices by a French company to a Dutch medical entity.
• Counsel to a Lloyd’s syndicate and its insured in a product-liability claims following the collapse of the roof of a shopping mall as a result of a hurricane.
• Advice to a New-Zealand insurer in defeating a recovery procedure brought before French courts relating to a product-recall claim arising out of defective electronic identification chips used on animals.
• Acted for a large French insurer in relation to various liability claims filed against its insured (a large French financial institution) in Hong Kong and Singapore.
• Defended a large French insurer and its insured (a French leading chemical company) against a product-liability claim filed before Greek courts.
• Coverage advice and monitoring for a large French insurer relating to the coverage due to a leading automotive company for a procedure brought before Spanish courts.
• Counsel to a UK run-off manager relating to the coverage due under a portfolio of French construction insurance policies.
• Counsel to a major insurer and its insured (a US engineering company) following a fire on a chemical plant in Fos-sur-Mer.

Testimonial

Dispute Resolution: "Romain Dupeyré is an 'excellent lawyer and strategist, gifted with very good negotiating skills'"

Insurance: "Romain Dupeyré 'swiftly takes each of his cases hand-on and knows all about arbitration'"

Legal 500, July 2016 

Insurance: “Romain Dupeyré is first-rate lawyer who boasts invaluable experience handling insurance litigation matters.”

Who’s Who Legal 2018

Who's Who Legal 2016

Arbitration: "Romain Dupeyré is one of the future leading names in the business"

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